Re: E30 - water leak, passenger side

[Rodger Keesee <rodger@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi John,

I had the same problem with my 1990 325is here in San Francisco. Once
the monsoon hit last year, footwells became waterwells. It was
especially bad when parked on hill (which is always the case). 

As you have already deduced, the problem is an obstruction in the
drainage path. The unibody rocker tubes on these cars are used as
drainage paths. If the rocker tubes can't drain, they fill up and...
overflow into the footwells. A lot of water goes through these things
which is why a light rain can produce standing water in the car.

There are four or so small cutouts in the front and back of the rocker
that allow the water to drain. Two just behind the front wheel and two
just in front of the rear wheel. 

These small cutouts are *small* and can quickly clog. The reason parking
on a hill can make a difference is that only the front set of drainage
holes could be clogged and the rocker overflows into the footwell before
the water level is high enough to reach the rear drainage holes.

The solution: Wire and a Big Ass Screwdriver. Clean out the drainage
holes with wire and then shove the BAS into the hole to make them bigger
and less prone to clogging.

Good Luck.
R/
1990 325is 250K?!  

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Rodger Keesee           |   Better BMW's through better Bandwidth     
Teutonic                |         http://www.teutonic.com
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> Date: Tue, 8 Dec 1998 21:30:53 -0800
> From: "John F. Thomas" <johnt@domain.elided>
> Subject: E30 - water leak, passenger side
> 
> I've always disliked the fact that my house has a detached garage which is
> too small to fit even my E30, 325...but it is what it is, I guess.  Recently
> my E30 has sprung a leak into the passenger foot well when the car is
> pointed downhill.  I seem to recall from previous postings or the FAQ that
> this is sometimes related to a drain hole/tube located  at the firewall over
> the exhaust manifold.  Well, I check this routinely from the engine
> compartment side and it is clean, both the hose and the opening behind it.
> Does anyone know what common leak points there are with this body?  Thanks.
> (there was nearly an inch of water in that well!)
> 
> John Thomas
> '94 318i   55k
> '87 325  165k...dinan chip, suspension...still orig clutch, muffler, eng,
> trans...
> http://www.wenet.net/users/johnt/bmw.html
> 
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